The Funny Thing About Elevators
by ershey
Summary: [one-shot, co-written with Ky, for Stagey] "We're stuck," muttered Blink.


Muaha! Look at me, I'm alive! Anyways... here's a one-shot for Stagey written by myself and Kyriel.

Disclaimer: Don't own Newsies. Stagey owns herself.

Have fun!

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**The Funny Thing About Elevators**

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I wasn't exactly those types of people you would see everyday in their exercise outfits, their huge duffel bags, and brand new sneakers just so they can show off how fit and muscular they are when they arrive at the gym. If you think about it, I never even go to the gym. The smell of all that sweat, the big crowd that shows up around the morning, and the rush to get to the machines just doesn't work for me. Which why I stick to jogging. Something very simple and delightful. The fact that you get to have scenery at the same time just adds to the whole thing.  
  
Every Saturday morning, exactly at seven, before I have to rush to work, I always find time to jog. That, and I always find time to see him. The guy at the elevator.

I've never once talked to him, just stolen quick glances every so often as we made our way from the sixth floor to the lobby. I was too shy to say anything, really, but there was something about his presence that was comforting, as if I'd known him forever.  
  
Of course I was attracted to him. He was tall, with straight golden hair, a great smile and a muscular build, which made me; think twice about my whole dislike of gyms. But he never seemed to glance at me as much as I glanced at him, and unfortunately, our apartment building's elevator was a fast one, and I can't muster up enough courage to talk to a guy in less than two minutes.

It was impossible, you see? So I practically just... gave up. But I guess fate had somethin' else planned for me that Saturday morning.

* * *

"Dammit," I muttered, trying to put on my left shoe and holding my keys in the same hand at the same time. Y'know one of those days when you just _have _to sleep in? That would be today for me.  
  
Pushing the down button for the elevator, I tied my hair up in a ponytail at the same time, waiting anxiously for the elevator to arrive. I didn't want to miss my whole routine - going to the elevator and of course, seeing him, then jogging out in the park as I daydream about how it would be if --  
  
"C'mon, Stagey, quit tyin' your hair and get in!" shouted Blink from the inside of the elevator. He was one of those guys that sat in the elevator, pushing buttons for whatever floors needed. I never did know what those were called. Besides, like people need to tell someone to push a button for them. Really.  
  
"I'm comin'! I'm comin'!" I muttered, finally finishing my ponytail and heading into the elevator.

Of course, he was already in the elevator when I got there, and a wave of embarrassment came over me once I had realized my left shoe was still only half way on. I knelt down, trying to hide my blushing face as I put my shoe on correctly.  
  
"That's Stagey!" Blink chuckled, "Always forgettin' something." I shot him a quick glare, stopping him from saying anything else.  
  
Standing back up, I glanced toward my elevator guy. He seemed to be off in his own world, humming a song to himself softly and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. I smiled inwardly as he ran a hand through his golden locks of hair. I found myself wishing that I was running my hand through his ha--  
  
"You know, if you keep starin' like that, Stagey, people will think there's somethin' wrong with you."  
  
"BLINK!"  
  
But before I could do anything else, the elevator jerked to a less-than-graceful stop and the lights went out.

"Lights went out," muttered Blink in the darkness, disturbing the silence.  
  
"Please tell me we're not stuck..."  
  
Dammit. I'm stuck in the elevator! Wait, stuck in the elevator with him... but then it's so dark and we can't even see each other! But I can finally talk to him! So then everythin' works out!  
  
"We're stuck," muttered Blink.  
  
Oh yeah.  
  
Blink.  
  
I have to say, I love the guy, but this just ain't the time!  
  
"Can't you call downstairs about it or something?" came an unknown voice not too far away. Then I suddenly realized, it was my mystery guy!  
  
"Well, I could if the lights -- "  
  
A whirring sound suddenly occured as the lights slowly flickered back on.  
  
Freaky.  
  
"And that would be the generator..." muttered Blink. "We're going to be stuck here for a while."  
  
Great.

"Try calling," said my guy again.  
  
Blink opened a small compartment under the elevator buttons and picked up the phone. He held it up to his ear for a couple seconds before hanging it back up again.  
  
"Dead."  
  
Typical.  
  
"So, now what?" I asked, remembering that my boss would kill me if I was late to work one more time.  
  
Blink shrugged. "I don't know. There's not much we can do, is there?"  
  
"Can't you pry open the doors?!" I pleaded, frantically grabbing his arm and shaking it.  
  
He gave me a weird look. "Yes, because we're all sons of The Hulk."  
  
I DID NOT NEED THIS RIGHT NOW.  
  
"Relax," said my guy from behind me. "We'll get out of here soon enough."

Normally, I would probably glare at whoever would say that, but I just couldn't... the way he smiled and the way he was full of confidence just made me smile nervously back at him and sit down on the floor.  
  
This was going to be a long day.  
  
"So..." said Blink, taking a seat on the floor and clapping his hands. "We should do something to pass the time!"  
  
"And that would be..."  
  
What? I can't help it! I'm mad, and when I'm mad, my sarcastic side comes out of me. It's one of those uncontrollable things you can't do anything about!  
  
"The two of you know each other?" asked my guy, taking a seat next to me.  
  
Yay.  
  
Wait, he probably thinks Blink and I are together or something!  
  
"No! I mean, yes, he knows me. But... I don't like him that way. I mean, he's... he's... he's my friend!"  
  
Great. Just great.  
  
The fact that Blink smiled just a bit too "inviting" for me didn't help the situation at all. "We've been together for a year," teased Blink, putting his arm around me. "She's just a little pissed off today."  
  
"BLINK!" I said, pushing him away as he fell into fits of laughter. "No, we're not together. He's just kidding."  
  
How long have I been in here? Less than a minute and I've already made a fool of myself.

My guy was laughing.  
  
Laughing... AT ME.  
  
Hehe, he has a nice laugh.  
  
Wait, back to being embarrassed.  
  
I could just kill Blink right now. I could take the belt around his pants, tie it around his neck and stran-- Okay, calm down, Stagey. Remember what your psychiatrist told you. Deep breaths. Deep, healing, breaths.  
  
"So," said my guy, "Since we're going to be stuck here together, I guess I'd better introduce myself." OH, GOD, PLEASE DO.  
  
"I'm Jack Kelly." I love that name. Hm, Stagey Kelly. That has a really nice ring to it...  
  
"I'm Trey Jones," said Blink, interrupting my thoughts. "But everyone calls me Blink, for obvious reasons." He pointed to his eye-patch.  
  
"Nice to meet you," Jack said, shaking Blink's hand.  
  
...  
  
Oh! My turn.  
  
"I'm Stagey," I said, putting on a winning smile. Jack smiled back. I think I melted.  
  
"Nice to meet you, too," he said, taking my hand in his and kissing it. Now I KNOW I melted. Hahh... You just gotta love old-fashioned guys...

"Anyways..." muttered Blink.  
  
Geez, ruin my happy moment, will you?  
  
"So where are you off to, today?" asked Jack, grinning at me. And here I am back on cloud nine... although I think I did see Blink roll his eye in annoyance... but I'll make it up to him somehow! I'm talkin' to Jack... Jack!  
  
"I'm, uh, going jogging out in the park..." I said, nodding. "Every Saturday."  
  
"And I just stay here in the elevator all day, pushing buttons for people," muttered Blink.

"Really?" Jack replied, raising his eyebrows, intrigued. "I go jogging every Saturday, too. To me, it's a lot better than going to the gym."  
  
He doesn't go to the gym?! ... Fooled me.  
  
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I hate gyms." Whee, we had something in common!  
  
"So," I said, changing the subject, "What are you going to be doing once you get out of here?"  
  
"Well," Jack replied, "If it's not too late, I was going to go to work. I've got nothing better to do on a Saturday anyway." I could think of something we could do...  
  
"What about you?" Jack asked.  
  
"Well, when I get out of here--"  
  
"WHERE THE HELL ARE MY TIC-TACS?!" Blink yelled in frustration, rummaging through his pockets. We stared at him and he gave us a weird look. "... What?"  
  
I'm going to kill him. Where's his belt?

"You carry around tic-tacs with you?" asked Jack, raising his eyebrow.  
  
"Well, yeah! You want your breath to smell nice and fresh every time!"  
  
I just couldn't help but snicker. Geez, the things Blink comes up with.  
  
"How about you try calling downstairs again?" I said, nudging Blink. "The phone might be working again!"

Blink picked up the phone once more.  
  
"Or, you know, it could be, like, NOT working," he said, hanging it back up.  
  
"Well, it was worth a try," said Jack, shrugging. "It's kinda getting hot in here..." Take off your shirt.  
  
"You're not the one wearing the stupid elevator-boy uniform," Blink said rolling his eyes. Or... eye, really.  
  
"So take off the jacket," I suggested. He did so, revealing a white undershirt that was starting to stick to him from the heat. That was when I noticed...  
  
I'm stuck in an elevator with two hot guys.  
  
Lucky me.  
  
Now, if only Jack was feeling kind of hot, too...

"You'd think that they'd at least have the air con on," said Jack, shrugging off his shirt, revealing a gray undershirt. He wiped his forehead with his shirt and tossed it into his duffel bag.  
  
I wish I was that duffel bag.  
  
"Aren't you hot?" muttered Blink, nudging me.  
  
Well, 'course I was! I'd do anything to feel better right now, but no way was I taking off my shirt in front of these two! Especially Jack! Besides, I heard somewhere if you don't move around that much you won't create too much body heat.  
  
"No, I'm fine," I said, smiling.  
  
"Why don't we find a way out of here, huh?" said Jack, standing up and looking about the elevator.  
  
Ooh, this is so exciting! Escape from the elevator! Okay, it sounded better in my head...  
  
"Or y'know, we could just wait 'till everything's back to normal again..." muttered Blink.  
  
Actually, I liked that idea. I don't care if it takes them a whole day to get everything back to normal again... but then again, seeing Jack take charge and find a way out doesn't seem to bad at all.

Before I knew it, I was beginning to sweat. I didn't know if it was from being nervous around Jack or if it really was the heat. Whatever it was, I hoped Jack didn't notice. There's nothing worse than a heat flustered girl with sweat dripping down her forehead.  
  
"Hey, Stagey, you alright?" asked Blink. Of course. Leave it to him to draw attention to me at the most unwanted of times. Argh.  
  
"I'm fine," I insisted, wiping my brow with the back of my hand. Maybe if I take my mind off the heat, I'll stop sweating. Think about something else... Think about... Jack. Jack without his shirt on. Jack without his-- NOT WORKING.

"Aren't there one of those escape latch thingos around here?" muttered Jack, softly hitting the sides of the elevator.  
  
"You're really determined to get out of here, aren't you?" said Blink, watching Jack move from one side to another. "We have nothing else to do besides wait... besides, it doesn't usually take long."  
  
Usually?!  
  
"You've been stuck in here before?" I asked Blink, my eyes widening. Geez, the poor guy needs a new job.  
  
"Once or twice," said Blink shrugging. "First time was by myself... the other time, well, I was with two old ladies and a 40 year old overweight guy. It wasn't as enjoyable as the other one, trust me."  
  
"Wow... I can just imagine..." muttered Jack, chuckling. "Y'know what? I give up... let's just wait..."  
  
Remind me to give Blink a hug later.

We sat in silence for a couple minutes, during which I discovered that the whole "not moving" theory about body heat was wrong, and that elevators got incredibly humid when three sweaty people are sitting in them.  
  
What do I do? What do I do?!  
  
"Stagey?" Blink asked concernedly. "Are you alright? Your face is all red..."  
  
"I'm... I said I was fine," I lied again, knowing that the heat was starting to get to me. I didn't want Jack to see that I was weak, but I was really starting to get dizzy.  
  
Damn you, evil sweat pants, damn you.  
  
Before I knew it, my eyes were fluttering closed, my head ached... And then there was darkness.  
  
When my eyes reopened, I found Jack staring down at me, and I realized that I was lying in his lap. My head still ached, but the dizziness was gone.  
  
"What happened?" I asked groggily.  
  
"You passed out," Blink answered, hovering over me, "You've been out for nearly ten minutes. See? You shoulda taken off your shirt like we did." I rolled my eyes at him.  
  
"Yeah, you'd like that," I replied sarcastically.

"You okay?" said Jack, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. Is it just me or does it seem like he's glowing? Or maybe that was just the lights...  
  
I suddenly realized how uncomfortable I was - being cramped in this little elevator with two other guys, sweating so much my shirt practically turned into a deep shade of red and my head aching from the heat. What happened to me anyway?  
  
"I never heard of anyone fainting when they're sitting down..." said Blink, waving what seemed to be his hat to create some supposed breeze.  
  
Fainted? I fainted? I don't faint!  
  
Well, as of now, apparently, I do.  
  
But geez, in front of Jack!  
  
"Good thing Jack here caught you before you hit your head on the floor!" continued Blink. "Geez, you really gave us a scare there!"  
  
I groaned, squinting from the lights and sudden brightness of the room.  
  
"I feel so..."  
  
"Don't worry, you'll be fine..." said Jack, smiling. "All you need is water and fresh air."  
  
Exactly.  
  
"Get out. No, not you. I mean, I need to get out..."

"Kinda hard considering the elevator doors are shut," Blink said. THANKS FOR THAT.  
  
"I'm going to die in here," I said, massaging my forehead. "We're never getting out... It's not going to happen..."  
  
"Aw, don't be so pessimistic," Jack said, stroking my hair comfortingly. Marry me.  
  
"Of course, we'll get out," he continued. "I mean, we've only been in here for about two hours. The power's bound to come back any minute now." He paused, contemplating something. Don't stop talking! Never stop talking! Talk... to... me...  
  
"And when it does," Jack said, "Why don't we go grab some coffee? My treat."  
  
Blink cleared his throat. "Are you only asking her? 'Cause-- JUST KIDDING. Jeez, Stagey, that's the scariest glare ever..."

"Really?" I muttered, sounding a bit ditzy for a moment. Don't blame me, I don't think I'm still thinking straight considering all these things being hurled at me right now.  
  
"Yeah," said Jack, smiling. "I mean, after we get cleaned up and everythin'... we'd 'cause a riot looking like this when we walk in, huh?"  
  
I could just melt. Really. I am in a sort of way, but really... the he's the most adorable person I've ever talked to...  
  
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "Coffee'd be great."  
  
Coffee'd be great?! Coffee'd be awesome!  
  
I love coffee!  
  
"You can come too if you -- "  
  
"Nah, I was just kidding," said Blink, waving his hand at our direction. "I've still got a job to do here! Somebody's got to man the elevator!"  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Jack, raising his eyebrow.  
  
Aww. How sweet.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm -- "  
  
But before Blink could finish his sentence, the elevator gave a sudden jerk as the lights flickered and a whirring sound came on once again.

I almost leapt for joy, but Blink took care of that for me.  
  
"THE ELEVATOR'S BACK ON!" he yelled, jumping up giddily, starting some weird sort of happy dance. "The elevator's on! The elevator's on!"  
  
Jack and I laughed at him, standing up and dusting ourselves off. After the coffee invitation, I felt a lot less nervous around him. Maybe he likes me, too...  
  
The elevator slowed and came to a stop at the lobby, our original destination. A couple of staff members were waiting for us downstairs.  
  
"Oh my god!" said the manager of building. "Are all of you alright? That elevator gets pretty warm without air conditioning..." Yeah. Really.

"What happened?" asked Jack as we all stepped out of the elevator, relieved to have fresh air instead of being cramped inside that little box.  
  
"Something went wrong with the electricity," said the manager. "We were really worried if anyone else got stuck inside... Except for Blink here who practically lives in the elevator."  
  
Then I suddenly realized. We have to go back up to get cleaned up, then back down to go get coffee. See, it would be possible to just walk the stairs, but the SIXTH floor? Goodness gracious...

I sighed. "Well, guess we'll be seeing you later then," I said to the manager, stepping backward and into the elevator again.  
  
"Yep," added Jack, following me into the elevator, "Have a lovely day."  
  
With that, Blink pressed the button labeled "6", and the elevator doors slid shut.

"And here we are again," said Blink as the numbers flashed until it reached the sixth floor. "And I guess I'll be seeing the two of you in at least ten minutes?"  
  
"Got that right," said Jack, smiling as the elevators doors opened to the sixth floor.  
  
Ah. Home sweet home.  
  
"Meet back here in ten minutes?" I asked. Geez, he still looks cute even when he's all sweaty and tired. What am I saying? I mean, what do you expect of Jack?  
  
"Ten minutes," he said nodding.  
  
I don't think I've ever cleaned up the fastest in my life. I just couldn't help but think that I was going to spend time with my elevator guy that I've oogled at for years. I couldn't stop thinking of what might happen and what could happen. Much as I had to admit, I was pretty glad the elevator stopped that day.

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Exactly ten minutes later, the doors to the elevator opened as a very excited Stagey and Jack took a step inside the elevator once more.

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Ta-dah! Hope you guys liked it!

[points at review button]

You know you want to.


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